Football: CU Buffs' Embree pleased with attitude change

Colorado no longer comfortable with losing results

Following a 48-14 loss to Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz., on Oct. 29, 2011, Colorado head coach Jon Embree called out his troops.

"We have some people who are comfortable with the results, that's just the facts," he said after that loss. "We are comfortable at times with what happens. So I am trying to create a culture and environment where that isn't the case."

Nearly a year later, Embree is pleased with the change in that regard. CU (1-4, 1-1 Pac-12) will host Arizona State (4-1, 2-0) on Thursday night. During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Embree said that while the disappointing results are still coming, the attitude toward those results is different.

"Yes it is better. Significantly better," he said. "Guys are competing, they care about what happens, there's pride, there's a lot of fight in them. It has changed that aspect of it."

Embree is hoping to see a lot of pride and fight on Thursday night against the high-flying Sun Devils. First-year coach Todd Graham has the Sun Devils averaging 38.4 points and 456.2 yards per game.

CU is coming off a bye week, but so is Arizona State, so both teams ought to be rested. Embree is hopeful the bye week will recharge his Buffs.

"It's been good," he said. "It's allowed us to get some guys back healthy, allowed us to address a few issues - tackling and turnovers."

Better tackling and creating turnovers were major points of emphasis over the past week and a half, he said.

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"We did a lot of live tackling," he said. "To the players, it may not have felt like a bye, because we had a lot of live periods within practice, but it was good to do that. "

Notable

CU is 2-0 all-time in Thursday night games at Folsom Field. The Buffs defeated Stanford 21-17 in 1990 and West Virginia 17-14 in overtime in 2008. Embree is optimistic that safety Ray Polk (ankle) will return to the field this week. Polk was injured in the season opener on Sept. 1 and has not played since. ... The health status of CU's injured players won't be known until after practice on Tuesday, but Embree is hoping a full squad will be available against the Sun Devils. ... Embree said the Buffs will not have any recruits in for this weekend, but they will have some in for every other weekend after this one. ... In advance of Friday night's Buffs Madness basketball event, point guard Spencer Dinwiddie of the men's team and head coach Linda Lappe of the women's team both took a few minutes to address the media and fans at Tuesday's press conference at the University Memorial Center. The event starts at approximately 8:30 p.m. at the Coors Events Center.

Follow Brian on Twitter: @BrianHowell33.

Press Conference and CU001.JPG University of Colorado Head Coach Jon Embree talks about this weeks game against Arizona State during a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 9, in the Glenn Miller Ballroom inside the University Memorial Center on the CU campus in Boulder.
Jeremy Papasso/ Camera (JEREMY PAPASSO)

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